Kenzie is a 20-something young professional living and working in Los Angeles. During a routine checkup at the doctor's office, she gets some unsettling news: she's actually a fictional character, not a "real person." And, weirdest of all, she was created and written by a dude. From then on, Kenzie must reckon with which parts of her identity belong to her and which belong to her creator, who conceived of her as a kind of "manic pixie dream girl." Amid her crisis, she goes to confront her creator and discovers the truth of her existence. Directed and written by Callie Bloem and Christopher J. Ewing, this clever short dramedy has a high-concept premise that wouldn't be out of place in a Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman or Michel Gondry film. In this case, it takes the idea of being "the main character" and turns it on its end, making for a fun, clever and entertaining watch that also poses fascinating questions about identity, storytelling and why characters and narratives matter. The idea behind the premise may be a feminist interrogation of how female characters do and do not reflect real women, but the film has a lightness of touch that belies its intellectual intrigues. In many ways, it's a cinematic confection, with bright, gleamingly cheerful Californian visuals, effervescent pacing and an eye for a slyly funny moment.
Kenzie's existential crisis is genuine, but it's also befuddlingly unique, and the writing also has a little fun with the world-building, with others discovering that they are dreamed-up narratives existing in other people's heads and the haves and have nots becoming the fictional and non-fictional. The heart of the story, though, is Kenzie's search for who she really is, and actor Jaz Sinclair's appealingly open, natural performance grounds us in this emotional journey. Kenzie alternates between confusion, indignation and anger at how limited her personality's contours seem at first. But as she seeks out her creator and learns what his aims and hopes for his story are, she discovers what it means to take control of her narrative and decide who she will be going forward. Charming, playful and well-crafted, "Written By" becomes not just a critique of limited female representation, but a gently provocative look at what stories we're living and whether they are really our own or someone else's. As Kenzie discovers, it takes courage to live your own story. It requires we look squarely and steadily at the stories that shape us, have compassion for ourselves and others, shake off the narratives imposed by others and define ourselves on our own terms.
Written By
